Ben Gurion's House

About the Prime Minister's House and the Founder of the State of Israel

The Ben Gurion House in Tel Aviv is located on Ben Gurion Boulevard 17, Tel Aviv, the private home of Ben Gurion.

The house was used as housing for the Ben Gurion family, the first Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of Israel. Of course the whole Ben Gurion family lived here from 1931-1973. This was parallel to his life in Jerusalem was the Prime Minister, and his shack in Sde Boker.

The two story house was bought by Ben Gurion and his wife Paula through installments and entered into big debts that amounted to 1,000 Egyptian pounds, less than today's value, but a lot of money at the time.

The house was designed by engineer David Tuvia and cost 350 Israeli pounds. It was built on JNF land in what would be a new workers' neighborhood.

Towards the end of their life, Paula and David Ben-Gurion had the house in Tel Aviv, as well as their shack in Sde Boker, as the home of the two, until Ben-Gurion's death in 1973.

Since then, the house has served as a museum commemorating the leader who founded and declared the Jewish state. On the second floor of this very house, he managed to persuade Moshe Sharett to agree to vote for the declaration of the state, a move that most of the government seemed to be somehow against. With this agreement, Ben-Gurion changed the picture and led to the historic step, which is why we are all here, in the independent and free Jewish state.

The House Structure

On the first floor is the family guest room and the kitchen where David Ben-Gurion served his meals. The room of his daughter Renana, from where Ben-Gurion conducted the Sinai Campaign in his early days, while she was sick. "In Paula's room" Ben-Gurion was in his last days of his life, before he was hospitalized and died at Sheba Hospital.

Only David Ben-Gurion used the second floor. It had a bedroom and four library rooms. Where he worked, wrote his diary, corresponded and hosted visitors and friends. At the round table he held consultations on a broader forum. The house was left in its condition when the Ben-Gurions lived there and everything was left in place.

On the second floor there is a huge library with over 20,000 different books, in 11 different languages, which Ben-Gurion knew.

In his will, Ben-Gurion left the house to the State of Israel. The house was opened to the public and has since been used as a museum

Important Tips

The entrance to the house is free.

You can arrange a visit by calling: 03-5221010 or by email: info@bg-house.orgA Closer Look: